Leaders that changed the world

The refugee and migrant issue is one of the world’s three biggest challenges, along with climate change and the Syria war.Prior to the session UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon invited world leaders to the UN’s first ever summit on refugees and migrants. UN members adopted the New York declaration officially launching a campaign called “Together – Respect, Safety and Dignity for All”. Ban said the declaration shows the UN’s commitments to protect the human rights of all refugees and migrants, support countries that are most affected by migration, improve search and rescue operations, and increase humanitarian aid and resettlement for refugees.Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said the New York Declaration is the biggest ever effort to share responsibility for the refugees in accordance with the UN charter.US President Barack Obama will chair the second summit on the migrant crisis with three goals: first, to encourage the … [Read more...] about The world unites to resolve migrant crisis

Daily life for them is a constant struggle with pollution, inadequate access to affordable electricity, and an uncertain economic future. Such challenges will become more severe if we don’t act sooner to improve access to cleaner energy.Most of the Camacho family’s income goes to paying for food and electricity. To keep their power bill down, they limit the use of household appliances to two electric fans, lights and a desktop computer. They have no fridge or washing machine.Millions of other families in our increasingly crowded and energy-needy world also find life hard. About 1.1 billion people worldwide still live without access to electricity while another 2.9 billion rely on wood or other biomass for cooking and heating, according to the World Bank.Many countries have made progress in reducing energy poverty. But this is easily outpaced by the surge in demand for energy, which could be up almost 40 per cent on today’s level by 2040.Asia is at the epicentre of … [Read more...] about Meeting the world’s eight billionth challenge

BARRIERS TO WOMEN IN STEM In an era when women are increasingly prominent in medicine, law, and business, why are there so few women scientists and engineers? And while many sectors have changed to become more representative, the areas of science and technology have lagged behind.The science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workforce is crucial to global innovative capacity and competitiveness.Yet women are vastly underrepresented in STEM jobs and among STEM degree holders despite making up nearly half of the global workforce and half of the college-educated workforce. There is an untapped opportunity to expand STEM employment in developed countries such as the United States, amid wide agreement that the nation must do more to improve its competitiveness.Technology and engineering suffer from a lower participation rate of women, holding back the pace at which these sectors can advance and their overall contribution to the economy. In the US today, women account for 47 per cent … [Read more...] about Raising the profile of women in STEM

Nguyen Hoai Thu is the production manager of electric cabinets at GE Energy Haiphong. Thu is always busy with work and phone calls without fixed working hours.She said, “Sometimes I don’t have time for my children. It is said that engineering is a challenging career for women. However, it is even more difficult for us to fulfill the different roles of engineer, mother, and wife.”Indeed, the engineering industry is challenging for both genders. In today’s dynamically changing business environment and stiffly competitive global market, clients’ demands become more sophisticated and volatile.At GE, the company standing in the forefront of digital transformation with exports to markets around the world, investments are being made in continuous learning in order to streamline processes, improve productivity, and apply cutting-edge technology.Thu went on to say that, “It is crucial that you have aspiration, determination, and perseverance to acquire … [Read more...] about Women – dive into the world of engineering

China on Thursday vehemently denied media reports of a seemingly banal tale that has spread like wildfire on the web -- that President Xi Jinping took a taxi in Beijing. Chinese President Xi Jinping, pictured at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 12, 2013 According to a report by the Hong Kong newspaper Takungpao on Thursday, Xi, accompanied by another man, took a taxi on March 1 across Beijing to his hotel -- without any official escort.This is big news in China where members of the ruling Communist party are perceived as disconnected to daily life, surrounded by security and extremely unlikely to make such a banal journey.Xi reportedly chatted with the taxi driver about the state of pollution in China before the driver asked: "Has anyone ever told you you like a lot like General Secretary Xi?"The Chinese leader replied: "You are the first to have recognised me."With the ride costing 27 … [Read more...] about China’s Xi takes a taxi: the news story that rocked the web

Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong delivers a keynote speech at the Center for International Strategic Studies in Washington D.C. on July 8 in which he touches upon the history of Viet Nam-U.S. relations, the development of the bilateral ties over the past years, Viet Nam's foreign policy, and Viet Nam-the U.S relations in the time to come. The Party chief made the statement at the Center for International Strategic Studies in Washington D.C. on July 8 while refering to Viet Nam’s foreign policy.Scientific and technological advances, cooperation and development trends, gloablization and democratization are opening up new opportunities for prosperity and cooperation among nations, he said.Economic and financial crisis along with social and humanitarian ones pose new demands for equitable and sustainable growth models for economic cooperation among nations and for international economic order. Traditional and non-traditional security challenges, including … [Read more...] about Party leader: Fast changing world requires new thinking

Nhan Dan Online - On the 69th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnamese diplomacy sector (August 28, 1945 - 2014), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh granted an interview to the press, sharing his opinions on the current international context and the foreign missions of the country in the new situation. Q: Would you please share your feelings on the 69th anniversary of the diplomacy sector? What are you most proud of in the history of the diplomacy sector? A: The provisional Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was established on August 28, 1945 which also marked the founding of the modern Vietnamese diplomacy sector. I'm honoured that the modern diplomacy sector was established and given a solid foundation by President Ho Chi Minh, who was also the first minister of the Vietnamese diplomacy sector. Ho Chi Minh's ideology and methods of exercising diplomacy has pervaded activities of the diplomacy sector during the past 69 years … [Read more...] about Vietnamese diplomacy actively integrates in the world

In 2009, Hoang Thi Minh Hong became the first Vietnamese to visit Antarctica twice. After returning to Viet Nam later the same year, she devoted her life to the country's environmental protection and climate change activities by becoming a communication and marketing administrator for the WWF Greater Mekong. She also became a Special Ambassador of UNESCO and was awarded the Honour Medal of the Vietnamese Prime Minister. She tells Jena Jeffrey about her once in a lifetime experience and the importance of looking after our planet.Inner Sanctum: What made you first go to Antarctica? Sheer luck – nothing else. The idea for this trip came from Robert Swan, the first person in human history to walk to both the North and South Poles. In 1992, as the Keynote Speaker at the first Earth Summit for Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Mr Swan was challenged by the world leaders to "Think Global, Act Local', and he made a commitment to undertake a ten-year global and local … [Read more...] about From bottom of the earth to top of the world

Relaxing: Vientiane lures tourists with its laid back lifestyle. VNS Photo Trung Hieu ­ ­ ­ by Le Quynh AnhNam Pou Square used to be a public park in the heart of Vientiane. Now, just a few months later, it has been transformed into an al fresco outdoor dining area for a brand new Western-style restaurant called Mix. The restaurant owner has capitalised well on the large space available, with a beautiful new fountain at the centre which presents quite a spectacle at night with its dancing lights.The immediate area is packed with restaurants serving a wide range of Western cuisine: from French cassoulet to German sausage to Scandinavian pastries. One evening, I sat down at a warmly designed restaurant called Le Provencale to try their thin-crust pizza, freshly baked in a wood-fired oven. Having tried an authentic pizza in Paris three months earlier, I have to say that this one was just as superb.The … [Read more...] about Peaceful Vientiane opens up to the world